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Just like you can’t bake a cake without all of the ingredients, a football team can’t be successful on the field without the right program culture. At a school like Poly, that culture now comes with the territory. At a school like Jordan, the time is now to create that culture.

“ ‘Attitude’ is a better word for it,” said Jordan first-year head coach John Kane. The on-campus teacher coached the Panthers’ defense in the late ’90s and gives credit to current Jordan principals Shawn Ashley and Jay Camerino for the overall attitude adjustment in J-Town.

“Jordan has had a defeatist attitude in some areas,” added Kane. “(Ashley and Camerino) are making things matter, and that’s important … for us, it doesn’t all happen Friday night. It’s winning every day, in every aspect. … The other good stuff will just happen.”

Kane isn’t the only one preaching the new approach as four former Panthers are back at Jordan to help coach the junior varsity and varsity teams. Malcolm Thompson (WR, Webber State), Tyrone McKinney (RB, Utah), Manuel Martinez (WR, Sacramento State) and Chris Washington (LB, Stillman) all went on to play college football and they all called Kane when they heard he was back coaching the Panthers.

“It was flattering,” said Kane. “But more importantly, they care about Jordan.”

That school spirit has become contagious and the Panthers have attacked these summer two-a-day practices with a renewed sense of purpose. Leading the way vocally and by example has been senior Mace Asaeli. The 6’0” 243 pound lineman has played all different positions in his three years as a varsity player because that’s what the team needed. This season, he will captain the offensive line at center and line up at end on defense.

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“He’s on time, reliable and respectable,” said Kane of Asaeli, who went to passing league competitions this summer just to be with his teammates. “He wasn’t playing, but anytime guys were getting frustrated or yelling, he was the one telling them not to bicker.”

“We weren’t sure about (Kane) at first,” said Asaeli about the off-season when Kane took over. “But once we saw what he was doing and how he does it, we were okay.”

The only other returning starter on the offensive line is 6-foot-3, 260-pound left tackle Siaosi Pahulu. The rest of the unit is made up of first-year varsity players trying to fight for three positions.

“They know it’s their turn because they have a helmet and pads,” said Kane.

The same goes for the receiving corps after the departure of 2012 All-Moore League offensive player of the year John Ross, who garnered most of the attention from opposing defenses and his own coaches over the last three seasons. Seniors Delvin Mosley, Michael Sherman and Devontae Reynolds are leading the race for that go-to tag but Kane is adamant that Jordan will not have a “featured” target until someone makes the plays to be one. Junior slot receiver and track athlete Jordan Kelly could be that guy with his breakaway speed.

The offensive backfield could have another possible home-run hitter in senior first-year starter Derreon Brown. After overcoming some difficult off-the-field issues, Brown is finding solace and purpose on the football field and his coaches can see his growth as a player and a person.

“He’s the real deal,” said Kane. “He’s instinctual. He’ll go out and make a one-handed catch, and at this point it doesn’t surprise us because he makes those plays look natural all the time.”

The question of who will be regularly handing the ball to Brown doesn’t have an answer. Junior DeOliver Walker is the strongest arm in the race, sophomore Elijah Thompson is the most naturally gifted athlete and sophomore Devonte Murrey has the highest football IQ, so Panther fans might see all three take a snap at some point this season.

On defense, Kane and his coaches are implementing the 4-2-5 look in order to get their playmakers on the field with very few scheme restrictions.

“It’s a simple and aggressive approach,” Kane said. “We don’t want guys thinking where they should be during a play. … When we’re good, people will know what we’re doing. But the attitude needs to be, ‘this is what we do, stop us’.”

Asaeli and Pahulu anchor the defensive line with senior and three-year starter Daniel Palu lining up on the outside where he has been a terror for opposing tackles because of his deceiving speed. The 6-foot-3 Palu could also see some time on offense as an option out of the backfield and in the slot.

In the secondary, seniors Chaz Sanders, Michael Sherman and Malik Dennis are making their case to be first-year starters while big-hitting junior Israel Hibbert is looking like the standout of the unit.

“We need to be competitive and represent this school the way we should,” said Kane of season expectations. “Everything else will fall into place.”